Saudi Woman Was Granted Refugee Status by the UN

Australia is considering offering Rahaf al-Qunun asylum after she fled her family while on vacation in Kuwait

Rahaf al-Qunun, an 18-year-old woman was given refugee status by the UN after she fled her family while vacationing with them in Kuwait. Reportedly she wanted to get to Australia to ask for asylum but she had a connecting flight in Bangkok, Thailand where she landed on 5 January 2019 and was met by Saudi officials that seized her passport.

She then barricaded herself in her airport hotel room in order to not be deported back to Saudi Arabia where she said her family will torture or even kill her for renouncing Islam. Then she took to twitter to call out for any nation that could offer her asylum.

Now, miss Rahaf al-Qunun was allowed by the Thai Immigration Bureau to leave the airport under the protection of the United Nations agency, also known as UNHCR. After getting her refugee status, next would need to find a country to offer her asylum. The Australian Department of Home Affairs announced they would consider her for resettlement in Australia.

She is also being encouraged by people all around the world, like the group called the Secret Sisterhood that has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Qunun once she is resettled in another country. As well as by the Australian Greens senator, Sarah Hanson-Young, that called on the government to help Qunun: “It is time to bring this courageous young woman to Australia to start her life as a free woman,” she stated.